Enticed Read online

  “Rafael, is something wrong?”

  Bryony’s soft voice slid over him at the same time her hand slipped through his arm and she hugged herself up to his side.

  He disentangled his arm from her grasp just long enough to wrap it around her waist and then pulled her in close again.

  “No, just thinking.”

  “About?”

  “What has to be done.”

  Instead of pressing him for answers as he thought she might, she said, “Why don’t we take off, go for a long walk? Mamaw won’t mind. She’s having fun being the center of attention. She won’t even notice we’ve gone.”

  Unable to resist, he leaned down to kiss her brow. She was so in tune with his moods. It shouldn’t have surprised him that she could read him so easily. He’d found that he could pick up on the nuances of her moods just as quickly. He anticipated her reactions much like she did his own.

  It was something he imagined a couple doing after years of marriage.

  When he drew away, she took his hand and tugged him toward the stone path leading through the garden and down the dune onto the sand.

  Sand slid over his toes but he found he didn’t mind as much as he had when he first started wearing these ridiculous flip-flops.

  They ventured closer to the water that foamed over the sand. Soon the cool waves washed over their feet, and Bryony smiled her delight as they danced back to avoid a larger one from getting them too wet.

  Soon Laura’s and Bryony’s cottages were distant points behind them as they approached the land that he’d purchased from her.

  “My father used to bring me here,” she said. “He used to tell me that there was nothing greater than owning a piece of heaven. I feel like I’ve let him down by selling it.”

  Rafael grimaced feeling even guiltier over his part in the whole thing. It didn’t matter that if it hadn’t been him it would have been someone else. She could no longer afford the taxes and if someone hadn’t bought it, eventually the land would have been seized for taxes owed. Either way it would no longer belong to her.

  But you have the power to give it back to her.

  The thought crept through his mind, whispering to him. It was true. He owned the land. Not his company. Not his partners. He’d purchased the land outright. The building of the resort and development of the land was what he’d brought investors in for.

  “I love you,” she said as she squeezed his hand.

  He looked curiously at her, startled by her sudden affection.

  She smiled. “You just looked like you needed that today.”

  He stopped and pulled her into his arms, brushing a thick strand of her hair from her eyes as the wind blew off the water. “I did need that. I shouldn’t be surprised that you always know just what to say.” He took in a deep breath. “I love you, too, Bryony.”

  Her eyes went wide with shock and then filled with tears. Her body trembled against him. “You remember?” she whispered.

  He shook his head. “No, but it doesn’t matter. You said I loved you then. I know I love you now. Isn’t now all that matters?”

  Wordlessly she nodded.

  “The whole story doesn’t seem so crazy anymore,” he admitted. “I couldn’t accept that I fell in love with you in a matter of weeks and yet here I am in love with you after only a few days.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He smiled but his heart clenched at the hope and fear in her eyes. She seemed so worried that he’d change his mind or that he wasn’t really sure of himself or his feelings.

  He tipped her chin up and leaned down to brush a kiss across her lips. “I’ve handled this whole thing so clumsily. I don’t have any experience with telling a woman I love her. I imagine there were more romantic ways of doing it but I simply couldn’t not say it any longer.”

  “Oh, Rafe,” she said, her eyes bright with love and joy. “You’ve made me so happy today. I’ve been so afraid and unsure. I hate being uncertain more than anything else. The not knowing just eats at you until you’re a nervous wreck.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to worry. I love you.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him to her. “I love you, too.”

  He slowly pulled her arms away until he held her in front of him. She looked a little worried at the sudden seriousness of his expression and he tried to soften his features to reassure her. But he couldn’t really offer her any reassurance. Not yet.

  “I need to leave tomorrow,” he said grimly.

  Her expression went blank and her mouth opened but nothing came out. “Wh-why?” she finally stammered out.

  “I need to go back and work things out with my partners and our investors. I’ve avoided it for as long as I can. I can’t do so any longer. I wanted you to know how I felt before I leave. I don’t want you to have any doubts that I’ll come back this time.”

  Uncertainty flickered across her face and her eyes went dim. He could tell she didn’t entirely trust him and he couldn’t blame her. Not after what had happened last time.

  “You could come with me,” he said. He was grasping at straws, anything to allay her fears. “We wouldn’t have to be gone long. A few days at most. I know you don’t like to be away from…here.”

  She reached for him, her hands clutching at his arms as she looked up at him, her eyes so earnest. “I don’t like to be away from you, Rafe. You. Not here. Or there. Or anywhere.”

  “Then come with me. I won’t lie to you, Bryony. I don’t know if I can fix this. All I can do is promise to try.”

  She let her hands slide down to grip his, so tight that her knuckles went white. “I believe in you.”

  He crushed her to him and buried his face in her hair. She made him want to be the man she was so convinced he already was.

  “You’ll come with me?”

  “Yes, Rafe. I’ll come with you.”

  She pulled away and he laced their fingers together, holding their hands between them.

  “No matter what happens, Bryony, I love you and I want this to work out between us. I need for you to trust in that.”

  “I do trust you. You’ll fix this, Rafe. I know you will.”

  He smiled then, feeling some of the anxiety lift away. He could breathe easier. The idea of expressing his feelings had given him a sense of uneasiness, but now that he’d done it, he realized it had been harder not to tell her what was in his heart even if his head still screamed that this was all wrong.

  He’d spent a lifetime of listening to his head and being ultra-practical. Maybe it was time he threw a little caution to the wind and let his heart lead for once.

  Eighteen

  Bryony’s phone rang in the middle of the night. She pried herself from Rafael’s arms and reached blindly for the phone on her bedside table.

  “Hello?”

  “Bry, it’s Silas. You need to come to the hospital. It’s your grandmother.”

  Bryony scrambled up, shaking the fuzz of sleep from her eyes. “Mamaw? What happened?”

  “She had one of her spells. Blood sugar dropped. She called me and I couldn’t understand a word she was saying so I rushed over and took her to the hospital.”

  Dear Lord, and she and Rafael had slept through it all.

  “Why didn’t someone come over and tell me?” she demanded.

  “There wasn’t a need to alarm you if it turned out to be nothing. I still think it’s nothing but the nurse insisted I contact you so you could come down and sign some paperwork. They just want the insurance stuff squared away. You know these damn hospitals. Always wanting their money,” Silas grumbled.

  “Of course, I’ll be right there.”

  Bryony hung up to see Rafael sitting up in bed, a look of concern on his face.

  “Is Laura all right?”

  Bryony grimaced. “I don’t know. She’s a diabetic and she doesn’t always take care of herself. Sometimes she doesn’t always take her insulin and at other times she doesn’t eat when she should.
I never know if she’s in insulin shock or on the verge of diabetic coma.”

  “I’ll go with you,” he said as he hurried from the bed.

  Twenty minutes later, they strode into the small community hospital. Silas met them in the main hallway.

  “How is she?” Bryony asked anxiously.

  “Oh, you know your grandmother. She’s as mad as a wet hen at having to stay overnight. She didn’t even want to go to the hospital. I made her drink some orange juice at the house and she came right around but I thought she ought to be checked out anyway. She’s not speaking to me as a result.”

  Bryony sighed. “Where is she now?”

  “They moved her out of the emergency room to observation. They won’t release her until they know for sure they have someone to watch over her for the next twenty-four hours.”

  “Take us to her,” Bryony said.

  As Silas predicted, Mamaw was in a fit of temper and ready to go home. The doctor was attempting to lecture her on the importance of not missing a meal and Mamaw’s lips were stretched tight in irritation.

  She brightened considerably when Bryony and Rafael walked through the door but glowered in Silas’s direction.

  Bryony went to the bed and kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “Mamaw, you scared me.”

  Mamaw rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. Any fool can see that. I’m ready to go home. Now that you’re here, they should let me go. They seem to think I need a babysitter for the next little while.”

  “Glad to see you’re all right, Laura,” Rafael said as he bent to kiss her cheek.

  Mamaw smiled and patted Rafael’s cheek. “Thank you, young man. Sorry to drag you and my granddaughter out of bed at this hour. Pregnant women need their rest, but no one but me seems to be concerned with that little tidbit.”

  “Is she okay to go home, Doctor?” Bryony asked, directing her attention to the physician standing to the side.

  The doctor nodded. “She knows what she did wrong. I doubt it’ll do any good to tell her not to do it again, but she’s fine otherwise. You’ll need to keep an eye on her for the next twenty-four hours and check her blood sugar every hour. Make sure she eats properly and takes her insulin as directed.”

  “Don’t worry. I will,” Bryony said firmly. “Can we take her home now or does she need to stay?”

  “No, as long as she goes home with someone, she’s free to leave as soon as we get her discharged. That’ll take a few minutes so make yourself comfortable.”

  Mamaw shooed the doctor away with a scowl and then stared pointedly at Silas, who still stood by the door. With a sigh, Silas nodded in Bryony’s direction and walked out.

  Bryony shook her head in exasperation. “When are you going to stop being such a twit to him, Mamaw? He’s crazy about you and you know darn well you’re just as crazy about him.”

  “Maybe when he stops treating me like I’m incapable of taking care of myself,” she grumbled.

  Bryony threw up her hands. “Maybe he’ll stop when you prove that you can. You know better than to skip meals, especially after taking your insulin.”

  Rafael picked up Mamaw’s hand and gave her a smooth smile. “You cannot fault a man for wanting to ensure the safety of the woman he loves. It’s a worry we never get over. We always want to protect her and see to her well-being.”

  Mamaw looked a little gob-smacked. “Yes, well, I suppose…” She cleared her throat and glanced at Bryony again. “I thought you two were leaving in the morning.”

  “Rafael will have to go without me,” Bryony said brightly. “You come first, Mamaw. I’m not leaving you alone after promising the doctor I’d look after you.”

  Rafael slid his hand over Bryony’s shoulder. “Of course, you should stay. Hopefully my business in the city won’t take long and I’ll be back to see my two favorite women again.”

  “You have a smooth tongue, young man,” Mamaw said sharply. Then she smiled. “I like it. I like it a damn lot. If Silas were that smooth, I’d probably have already said yes to his marriage proposal.”

  Bryony’s mouth popped open. “Mamaw! You never told me Silas has asked you to marry him. Why haven’t you said yes?”

  Mamaw smiled. “Because, child, at my age I’m entitled to a few privileges. Making my man stew a little is one of them. If I said yes too quickly he’d take for granted my affection for him. A man should never take his woman for granted. I aim to make sure he always knows how lucky he is to have me.”

  Rafael broke into laughter. “You are a very wise woman, Laura. But do me a favor. Let Silas off the hook soon. The poor guy is probably miserable.”

  “Oh, I will,” Mamaw said airily. “At my age I can’t afford to wait too long.”

  Bryony squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “I’ll stay over with you at your house. I know you don’t like to be away from your home for very long.”

  Mamaw’s expression became troubled. “I don’t want to interfere in your plans. You two have had enough problems without me adding to them.”

  Rafael put a finger to his lips to shush her. “You’re no burden, Laura. I’ll be back before either of you know it and then Bryony and I can plan our future together.”

  Bryony’s heart pounded a little harder. It was the first time he’d spoken of their future—as in a life—together. He’d told her he loved her. She believed him. But she’d been greatly unsure of where that put them. There were still a lot of obstacles to overcome.

  The fact that he seemed committed to them being together long-term sent relief through her veins.

  Just then a nurse walked in with discharge papers and began the task of taking Mamaw’s IV out and discussing the doctor’s orders with her.

  A half an hour later, they had Mamaw bundled into the car and were on their way back to her cottage.

  Once Bryony got her grandmother into bed, she walked back into the living room where Rafael waited. She went into his arms and savored the hug he gave her.

  “Crazy night, huh?” he said.

  She drew away. “Yeah. Sorry I won’t be able to go with you. I don’t think I should leave Mamaw even if she says she’s fine.”

  “No, of course you shouldn’t,” he agreed. “I’ll call you from New York and let you know how things are going. Hopefully I can be back in a few days. I have motivation to get this done.”

  She arched a brow. “Oh?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, a certain pregnant lady will be waiting for me to return. I’d say that’s pretty powerful incentive to get everything wrapped up so I can get my butt back on a plane.”

  “Yeah, well, Rafael? This time don’t get into an accident. I’d really like not to have to wait months to see you again.”

  He tweaked her nose. “Smart-ass. If it’s all the same, I have no desire to ever crash again. Once was enough. I know how lucky I am to be alive. I plan to stay that way for a long time to come.”

  She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him. “Good. Because I have plans for you that are going to take a very, very long time to fulfill.”

  He gave her a questioning look. “Just how long are we talking about?”

  “As long as you can keep up with me,” she murmured.

  “In that case, it’s going to be a very long time indeed.”

  She kissed him and then reluctantly pulled away. “You should probably go back home so you can shower and get packed. It’ll be light soon and you’ll need to be down to catch the ferry. Rush-hour traffic going into Houston is a bitch and you’re going to be hitting it at a bad time.”

  “You sure you’re okay with me driving your car?”

  She laughed. “The question should be whether it’s going to hurt your pride to drive my MINI. I could always have Silas drive you to Galveston and you could get a car service to the airport.”

  He shook his head. “Your car is fine. Right now my only concern is that it gets me there so I can hurry up and return to you.”

  She rested her forehead on his chest. “I’ll miss you, Rafe
. I won’t lie, the idea of you leaving panics me because I keep thinking of the last time I said goodbye to you thinking I’d see you again in a few days.”

  He cupped her face and tilted her head back so she looked up at him. “I’m coming back, Bryony. A plane crash and the loss of my memory didn’t keep us apart last time.”

  “I love you.”

  He kissed her. “I love you, too. Now go get some rest. I’ll call you when I land in New York.”

  Nineteen

  “It’s about damn time you got your ass up here,” Cam said grimly as he got out of his car in passenger pickup at LaGuardia and strode around to help Rafael with his bags. “Devon’s been in a snit ever since you left. Your delaying the groundbreaking just pissed him off even more. Copeland has got him over a barrel with this whole marrying-his-daughter thing. Ryan has been stewing over private investigator reports. I swear no one’s head is where it should be right now. Except mine. It’s obvious that any time a woman’s involved disaster follows,” he said sourly.

  “Cam?” Rafe said mildly as he opened the door to the passenger side.

  Cam yanked his gaze up and stopped before climbing into the driver’s seat. “What?”

  “Shut the hell up.”

  Cam got into the car grumbling about flaky friends and vowing all the while never to mix business and friendship again. Rafael rolled his eyes at his friend’s consternation, considering that the four had always done business together.

  “So what the hell is going on, Rafael? Dev says you’ve gotten cold feet.”

  “I don’t have cold feet,” Rafael growled. “I just think there has to be another way of making this deal go through that doesn’t involve using the property on Moon Island.”

  Cam swore again. He went silent as traffic got snarled and he expertly weaved in and out, making Rafael white-knuckle his grip on the door handle.

  Anyone riding with Cam deserved hazard pay. Not that he drove often. Cam almost always had a driver and it wasn’t because he was too good to drive himself. Quite simply he was so busy that he utilized every moment of his time to conduct his business affairs and if he had a driver, he had that much more time to work.